Jeremy Lin is Not a Point Guard

This just in … Jeremy Lin is not a point guard.

I pointed this out when he had eight turnovers a couple games back, but nobody wanted to listen. They were too busy drinking the Lin-berry Kool-Aid.

“It’s only his fifth start, what do you expect?” you said.

Then came Friday’s loss to the Hornets, when the New York Kicks star point guard had a season-high nine turnovers.

Now I don’t expect point guards to be perfect, but I also don’t expect them to average more than 4 turnovers a game. I don’t care how young and inexperienced they are.

Here’s a look at the most turnover-prone players in the NBA, none of which average more than 4.3 a game:

PLAYER NAME, TEAM NAME GP MPG TO TOPG TOP48 AST/TO STL/TO 1 Russell Westbrook, OKC

30 34.5 130 4.3 6.0 1.25.45 2 Deron Williams, NJN

30 37.4 128 4.3 5.5 1.95.23 3 John Wall, WAS

31 36.8 128 4.1 5.4 1.83.31 4 LeBron James, MIA

30 36.7 112 3.7 4.9 1.80.46 5 Steve Nash, PHX

28 32.0 104 3.7 5.6 2.93.18 6 Kobe Bryant, LAL

30 38.2 111 3.7 4.7 1.36.33 6 Kevin Durant, OKC

30 37.5 111 3.7 4.7.88.32 8 Rajon Rondo, BOS

21 37.3 76 3.6 4.7 2.63.47 9 Monta Ellis, GSW

26 37.2 88 3.4 4.4 1.74.46 10 * Ricky Rubio, MIN

31 34.7 103 3.3 4.6 2.60.72 Now I’m not saying the turnovers are going to prevent Lin from being a star, I’m just saying he’s not a true point guard.

Just like Allen Iverson wasn’t a true point guard. And Thunder guard Russell Westbrook obviously isn’t a point guard, looking at the numbers above.

Lin, in case you’ve missed it the past eight games, is at his best when he’s looking to score first, pass second. And that’s been evident with his stretch of 20+ point games, not to mention his 45 turnovers over his first seven starts – the worst seven-game stretch in NBA history.

Which makes the Knicks’ pickup of J.R. Smith a strange decision, considering the Knicks are starting to stockpile the shooting guards.

Maybe getting Carmelo Anthony back will help slow things down for Lin in the half court, and allow him to have better ball control. But if this keeps up, the comparisons to a turnover-prone Tim Tebow are going to continue to bubble up and become a real issue on and off the court for the Knicks.

So why not try Lin at shooting guard, where he really belongs?

At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he can play the two.

In fact, Lin’s play isn’t all that different from another unorthodox shooting guard, Spurs wingman Manu Ginobili. While Ginobili is left-handed and has 3 inches on Lin, their brand of basketball is very similar.

Both are extremely creative with the ball after picking up their dribble, constantly alluding defenders with their quick change of direction, long strides and wingspan.

Both have decent jumpers, but they’re at their best when they get in the paint, get to the rim and get to the free-throw line.

Maybe moving Lin to shooting guard is in Mike D’Antoni’s plan once Baron Davis comes back from injury.

Only then – when Anthony and Davis are healthy – will we know exactly what Lin’s role is and where he fits in the Knicks’ system

Until then, the Knicks (second worst in the league at 16.7 TOs per game) are just going to have to hope they can overcome the sloppy brand of basketball and keep Linsanity alive. But that might be wishful thinking, with games looming against Dallas (2), Miami, Boston, San Antonio and Chicago over the next two weeks. (Remember what happened when Tebow ran into New England both times last season?)

Should be interesting to see how that Lin-berry Kool-Aid tastes come mid-March. If the Knicks keep turning the ball over like they have been, don’t be surprised if Linsanity turns into March Madness.

TO FOULS DQ TEAM GAMES HME OPP DIFF HME OPP DIFF HME OPP 1